If your mentality is to kill the enemy no matter what, you would definitely not bring a "wall" with you to do that.. and Scutum or Aspis is that wall practically.. instead you would bring s target shield or nothing at all..
and regarding motivation, you are wrong on that behalf - early Republican legions were formed from motivated citizens, those who had something to lose if war was lost.. (just look how these men fare against Pyrrhus, with his phalangites and elephants... all these things previously unknown to them) the whole idea to not enlist the poor was exactly because they would not fight hard enough, as they had nothing... so if there was a time when Romans would be not motivated enough, it would be the late Republic period, after Marius took proletarii into legions. Which is the reason why civil wars could even happen - each legion was more loyal to its commander than to the Republic itself..
and regarding motivation, you are wrong on that behalf - early Republican legions were formed from motivated citizens, those who had something to lose if war was lost.. (just look how these men fare against Pyrrhus, with his phalangites and elephants... all these things previously unknown to them) the whole idea to not enlist the poor was exactly because they would not fight hard enough, as they had nothing... so if there was a time when Romans would be not motivated enough, it would be the late Republic period, after Marius took proletarii into legions. Which is the reason why civil wars could even happen - each legion was more loyal to its commander than to the Republic itself..
Jaroslav Jakubov
